The goal of this technical collaboration is to develop processing and material technologies that provide automotive Class A surface appearance and suitable mechanical properties for automotive body panels by utilizing a thermoplastic resin matrix reinforced with discontinuous recycled carbon fiber.

“Thermoplastic materials offer many advantages in reducing weight, cost, and recyclability, but have not been used often in Class A surface finished because of the industry’s challenge to create products through injection molding that do not have a proper gap control and are not warped through the process,” said Soydan Ozcan, Senior R&D Scientist at ORNL and IACMI Composite Recycling Lead. “Through this project, end of life carbon fiber composite and scrap can be utilized in a high volume production stream that possesses significant potential for energy savings, carbon footprint reduction, and for developing global composites recycling,” Ozcan detailed.

The method developed by this process will open new opportunities for carbon fiber integration into the automotive field. “By utilizing advanced thermoplastic processing technologies, this project will allow us to lead the integration of recycled carbon fibers into Class A surfaces in the automotive industry,” said BASF Strategic Marketing Manager, Mohamed Bouguettaya.

“Integrating discontinuous recycled carbon fibers into automotive Class A surface finishes is a significant opportunity in the composites field. The key learnings from this project could help the automotive industry to more effectively design quality, ready-to-market surfaces, while also reducing cost and weight in vehicle production,” said Uday Vaidya, IACMI – The Composites Institute Chief Technology Officer and UT/ORNL Governor’s Chair in Advanced Composites Manufacturing.

Project outcomes are expected to enable private industry to innovate the manufacture process through advancement of material and process development in Class A surfaces.

About IACMI-The Composites Institute: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.